In the Marais Vernier, biodiversity threatens with drought

“There, our feet should be in the water.“When you walk through the swamps of Vernier with Thierry Lecombet, it’s one note at a time. This wetland has an area of ​​4500 square meters on the principle consists of peat, There is almost no more water.

A drought like this, this swamp dweller of more than 40 years has rarely seen. “When it is dry, there is a gradual deterioration of the swamp with the consequences that we already notice around usexplains Thierry Lecompte, who also created a nature reserve on the site. Wetlands are rare. We have many species of dragonflies, amphibians and plants that depend on a certain humidity, and from the moment they become too dry, these species are in danger.“

The consequences are already clear

And when we continue to walk with him, it is sometimes too late:Trees started dying, too. For example, these algae are water-loving plants and there they begin to suffer because the soil is too dry. This 50 or 60 year old tree is dying.“

Periods of drought that are difficult for animals and plants to live with, as climatic conditions become More and more extreme. “What we see above all is an increase in deviations from the meanexplains Thierry LeCompte. This means that when it rains, the precipitation is greater, so we will have an increased risk of flooding and at the same time there are more and more droughts.

fear of fire

In addition to dehydration, Thierry LeCompte in greater fear : “In this kind of space, a fire would be a disaster. Peat is a fuel and it will take very little to catch fire. When it ignites, the flames that will spread deep into the earth will ignite, making it impossible to put them out before the rains.“

and confirms it: “In these kinds of spaces, a fire would be a disaster.”